Forsa said in a statement that independent facilitator Kieran Mulvey expects negotiations to last until the end of the day.

About 100 of Ryanair’s 350 Irish-based pilots joined colleagues in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden in a series of strikes.

The airline said 396 flights were cancelled as a result, disrupting thousands of passengers.

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100s of Ryanair cabin crew staff and pilots around Europe have taken strike actionCredit: AFP or licensors

The statement also said: "The union negotiating team is made up of representatives of Ryanair pilots who are members of the Irish Airline Pilots' Association (Ialpa) and Forsa officials, assisted by ICTU general secretary Patricia King. Ialpa is a branch of Forsa.

"Mr Mulvey has asked the two sides to refrain from public comment, so Forsa will be making no further comment at this time."